What is an Annotated Bibliography? First, what is an annotation?  More than just a brief summary of an article, book, Web site etc.  It combines summary with evaluation (what you think) and should give enough information for readers to decide if the resource was relevant or useful.

What is a Bibliography:  A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, Web sites, newspapers, etc.) that are used for researching a topic.  "References" or "Works Cited"  So, an annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources ( books, articles, journal, web sites, etc…) with a paragraph that describes, explains, evaluates and justifies each entry in terms of quality and relevance.

Why should I write an annotated bibliography?  To learn about your topic: Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced to read each source more carefully.  To find, organize and incorporate useful sources It is extremely important that you keep track of all of your information for your research project….It stinks when you find a great source and then forget what/where it was.

 Becoming a Critical Reader Instead of just collecting information you will begin to read critically, think about it and decide if the source is relevant.  Forming an argument The purpose of your research is to create an argument. So a very important part of research is using your information to support an argument.

What else?  Shows your reader that your sources are informative, relevant, and credible.  Makes it easier for you to see if numerous sources are saying the same thing  Can help you determine whether or not you want to use a particular source in your research

What do you write?  Citation The bibliographic information of the source (the title, author, publisher, date, etc.) You will need at least 4 Must be in MLA format  Annotation Summarizes the content, assess the quality and relevancy of the source to your project, and reflects on the big ideas from the source. 50 to 150 words per annotation  Annotated bibliographies should be arranged alphabetically

This is what needs to be included...  Short summary  Assessment/ evaluation of the source  Reflection of how it fits into your personal research

As you write your annotation you will….  Summarize What are the main arguments What is the point of the book/article What topics are covered paraphrase

 Assess/Evaluate Is this a useful source? Is it reliable? Is it biased or objective in any way?

 Reflect How does this source fit into your research? Was this source helpful, or not? How does it help your argument? How can you use this in your research? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

What POV should my annotations be in?  Because you are discussing your research, you may use the first person  However, only do it when it is appropriate (similar to your APA paper)

“Automatically Record Everything They Do Online! Spector Pro 5.0 FAQ’s.” Netbus.org. Netbus.org, n.d. Web. 17 Feb Spector Pro is a type of Internet surveillance program. This Web page, sponsored by the manufacturer of the product, explains the functionality of the software and describes its features. It can be installed on a variety of computers and can be installed in “Stealth” mode so that the user cannot detect the software on his or her computer. The program can also monitor all computer use ranging from Word documents to Web sites. This source supports my other sources by illustrating the ease with which this kind of software can be installed as well as the extensive amount of information it can gather for employers.